Mark Bowden Books

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Mark Bowden is an American journalist who is known more for his novels than he is for his reporting. Bowden was born in 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Loyola University Maryland in 1973, an institution to which he returned years later to teach creating writing.

It was during his college years that Bowden discovered ‘The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test’ (Tom Wolfe), a book that ignited his love for journalism. When he secured a position with ‘The Philadelphia Inquirer’ as a staff writer in 1979, he had no idea that he would stay there for the next 24 years. He also had no idea that his work at The Philadelphia Inquirer would define his career.

In the years that followed, the author had the opportunity to write for publications like ‘Vanity Fair’, ‘Sports Illustrated’, and ‘Rolling Stone’. But it was his work with the Inquirer that left a lasting impression. As far as fiction is concerned, as a high school student, Mark Bowden was more interested in art than he was in writing.

He used to produce caricatures of teachers that won him quite a bit of attention. Bowden was a reader from an early age. But it wasn’t until he got to college that his passion for writing finally entered the picture. Bowden had an amazing teacher who changed his perception of the activity by encouraging him to focus on the mechanical aspects of writing.

Bowden learned how to determine what made certain articles more compelling than others. Quite a bit of his time was spent pursuing his duties as the editor of the institution’s newspaper. The author admits that he got a little carried away with the authority he had. He believes that his era in the newspaper was the worst the college ever saw.

But Bowden, for his part, loved every moment of his reign. Life outside college was just as interesting. After joining ‘The Baltimore News American’, the author discovered the joys of reporting. He loved going into small communities to investigate stories.

The publication gave him the opportunity to write about local politics and scandals. He appreciated the fact that his job gave him an excuse to meet new people.

At the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bowden’s bosses wanted him to primarily cover the Eagles from a new angle. The journalist achieved this task by getting to know the Eagles players during the off-season.

When he eventually stumbled across the idea for ‘Black Hawk Down’, no one at the Inquirer shared his enthusiasm for the story. The author had to finance his own investigation. Fortunately, the publication reimbursed him later on. Once he got a job offer from The New York Times, his boss at the Philadelphia Inquirer scrambled to match it.

Bowden used that opportunity to secure support for his story. The journalist initially released it as a 26-part series in the Inquirer. Then the publishers came calling and turned him into one of the biggest authors in the country. Bowden went on to write several more novels inspired by his reporting. But it is still for ‘Black Hawk Down’ that he is known.

Mark Bowden Awards

Some of the accolades the author has accumulated over the decades include the Cornelius Ryan Award (Overseas Press Club), Hal Boyle Award, and National Book Award.

Mark Bowden Books into Movies

‘Black Hawk Down’ became a movie of the same name in 2001. ‘Killing Pablo’ became a TV movie.

Best Mark Bowden Books

Mark Bowden has lived an exciting life that has drastically influenced the nature of his storytelling, with some of the best books in his bibliography including:

Black Hawk Down: In 1993, a hundred American soldiers were sent to Somalia. Their task was simple. They were to drop into a teeming market and secure the lieutenants of a Somali Warlord. What should have been an hour-long mission took a turn for the worse when the soldiers were suddenly assaulted by a wave of armed Somalis.

Killing Pablo: For a time, Pablo Escobar was the world’s most dangerous criminal, a drug lord that was unleashing death and destruction on the streets of Colombia on a daily basis. For his actions, he was eventually caught and killed. Mark Bowden provides a detailed account of the manhunt that ultimately ended Pablo’s life.

When Does The Next Mark Bowden book come out?

Mark Bowden doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Life Sentence and was released on April, 11th 2023. It is the newest book in the Mark Bowden Non-Fiction Books.

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